Aquafaba Meringue Topped Watermelon Sundae

Watermelon is my go-to when it’s hot, and it’s been hot! Here’s watermelon to the max as an Aquafaba Meringue Topped Watermelon Sundae.

ALERT: Wash Your Melons!

Yesterday, I cut my small organic watermelon in half, but before I sliced into it, I washed it. All fruits, and that includes melons especially, should be washed before you cut into them.

Here’s why: Melons grow on the ground. The rind protects the inside of the melon from bacteria in the soil, but germs like e-coli, listeria or salmonella sometimes linger on the rind. In most cases, the germs don’t do too much to the rind of the melon, but when the melon is cut potential problems can occur. What happens is any bacteria present on the rind will adhere to the blade of the knife, and when the cuts are made, the slices may become contaminated. Add time and temperature, and the germs will grow.

It’s not my intention to gross you out but I wanted to let you know that taking a few minutes to wash your melons before you start slicing them is a must. I put a small amount of dishwashing detergent on the uncut melon and scrubbed with one of the terry kitchen cloths I keep just for food. I used a scrubber too. Then I rinsed the melon very well under running water, and I dried the melon with a clean cloth. I place the melon on a clean board and was ready to go. This may sound like a lot of work, but we are talking about a few minutes and safety first. We want to enjoy our food, not get belly aches or worse.

Now for the Yummy Part

I cut the organic mini seedless melon in half. I actually prefer seeded watermelons but this is what was available. I simply cut it in half—no fancy zigzags. I scooped the melon, chunked it, and put it back into the shell. I added other fruit that was in my refrigerator, blueberries, cherries, which I pitted, strawberries and a few gooseberries. A sprig of basil from my terrace, and ready to eat. But… why not add some aquafaba meringue?

Watermelon Sundae

The Watermelon Sundae in the photo above is plenty satisfying and compliant for many eaters. But, I happened to have some reduced and chilled aquafaba in my refrigerator,  so I turned the lovely fruit bowl into a showstopper dessert. I whipped up some aquafaba meringue and then piped it onto the watermelon fruit bowl. My small kitchen torch was used to toast the meringue. This is enough dessert for two, but I’ve got a dear friend visiting me from Los Angeles, last minute for lunch, this is very last minute. Dessert for me and Henny is covered!

I think this is pretty cool- pun intended. I might add some chopped nut, toasted coconut too. Do you have a favorite way to serve watermelon? Do tell.